Dream With Your Eyes Open at the Byron Bay International Film Festival

Each year some of the world’s most exciting film talent join thousands of film lovers at BBFF, over 10 fantastic days in beautiful Byron Bay, for a dynamic and truly distinctive film festival experience known for its trademark friendly, laid-back vibe and characteristically open, expressive and appreciative audiences.

Independent filmmakers are the heart and soul of this festival, whose quality programming of hundreds of entertaining, inspiring and eye-opening films from over 40 countries sets the stage for filmmakers at all stages of their careers to showcase outstanding work across all genres.

Mix business with pleasure at the gala red carpet opening and closing night parties, or simply over a quiet drink at the sunset bar, mingling with leading Australian and international industry figures, and where you can make new friends, spark ideas and collaborate.

“BBFF will grow into a ‘go-to event’ within five years because of the way BBFF enables filmmakers to exchange ideas.”
BBFF Patrons, Actor Jack Thompson & Film Reviewer Peter Thompson

As a BBFF VIP Accepted Filmmakers are given the opportunity to expand their horizons with free masterclasses, workshops, seminars and networking drinks and parties.

The festival is also passionate about Virtual Reality and the opportunities it creates for filmmakers. 2016 saw the introduction of 2 new awards for Virtual Reality Creators and a number of events that were aimed at established VR Developers as well as those looking to dive into this new realm. The Realities Mediums are no token gesture at this festival - for the past 2 years BBFF has held Co_Lab_Create - a Realities Thinktank for Professionals already working in the field.

It’s all just a short stroll from world class beaches, great cafes, bars and restaurants, live music, shopping and the colourful, cruisy and creative streetscape, for which Byron Bay is renowned.

“We have travelled the world with our film, My Suicide, from Berlinale to San Francisco International Film Festival, and the Byron Bay Film Festival is absolutely world class - filmmaker friendly, professionally run, and featuring top notch, bleeding-edge independent films. Add the inspirational setting and the people, and the gestalt is pure magic!”
- David Lee Miller, Filmmaker, USA

If your creativity is cutting edge and you have a message to tell, be a part of this humanistic festival that’s fusing artistry, education and innovation to enhance our worldview and collective social dialogue through the power and storytelling of film.

The Byron Bay International Film Festival is an Australian Film Festival that screens a diverse programme of films, of ALL LENGTHS and ALL GENRES, many of which reflect the interests and values of our unique local community - maintaining a strong emphasis on social and environmental issues, human rights, diversity and multiculturalism, creativity, indigenous culture, spirit, healing, connecting to nature, conscious thinking and positive living, music of every variety, colourful characters, humour and, of course being Byron Bay, surfing.

BBFF provides a platform for independent filmmakers in all stages of their careers. We believe in creating opportunities wherever possible and we aim to profile selected filmmakers and promote their films both before and after our festival. We bring the work of talented creatives to an appreciative and intelligent audience and our festival is supported by some of the heavyweights of the Australian Film Industry.

Byron Bay is said to have the highest concentration of filmmakers in Australia outside of a metropolitan area. The inaugural Byron Bay Film Festival was held in February 2006 and focused solely on Australian films and the back catalogue of our local filmmakers. Byron Bay is a magnet for people from all around the globe both passing through or making Byron their home and so it seemed fitting that BBFF should metamorphosis into an International Film Festival.

A highlight of the festival is our annual Full Moon Beachside Screening, not always held within the festival dates, which attracts 2000+ attendees and some very special guests.

With the community and media squarely behind us BBFF continues to grow each year. The festival now screens 175+ films, Music Videos and VR Experiences over ten days across 6 venues. BBFF is supported by many Australian distribution companies, TV buyers and film industry organizations that provide judges for us creating further opportunities for participating filmmakers. Filmmakers are shown hospitality at our Filmmakers Bar and a number of invitation only events.

Our selection panel has extremely diverse tastes, as does our local audience. Life in Byron Bay is about as ideal as it gets and so as well as bringing our audience films which resonate with their lives and interests we like to transport our audience away from their sub-tropical paradise and let them experience stories, people and places worlds away.

Although the bulk of our programming is aimed towards an adult audience we run family-friendly screenings as well as screenings for local schools and so we are always on the lookout for great family/children-friendly films to add to our Schools Sessions selection.

ABOUT BYRON BAY
In Australia, and increasing world-wide, Byron Bay is renowned for our quality of life - a small yet cosmopolitan town with miles of white sandy beaches, clear blue sea and some of the best surf breaks in Australia, surrounded by lush sub-tropical rainforests and picturesque rolling countryside.

Originally a whaling town Byron Bay was first invaded by surfers and then soon after hippies who lingered on after the Aquarius Festival which was Australia's Woodstock. In the 80's some of the biggest names of Australian film bought property in and around the bay and A-list celebrities continue to buy property and holiday here. Byron is home to some of the biggest festivals in Australia including the East Coast Blues and Roots Festival, Splendour in the Grass and The Byron Bay Writer's Festival.

Awards & Prizes

Young Australian directors under 25 have the chance to win our Young Australian Filmmaker of the Year award.

All films entered will automatically be considered for nomination in any award categories that the film might qualify for during the selection process. BBFF awards include but are not limited to Best Film, Documentary, Short Film, Drama, Cinematography, Surf Film, Animation, Experimental Film, Environmental Film, Music Video, Best Young Australian Filmmaker (open to Australian Director’s under 25) and an award for the Best Local Film.

BBFF is renown world-wide for cutting edge curation and we have added Immersive Content to our expansive and engaging program of screen content - widening perceptions of the evolution of film and technology and introducing the new frontiers of the story-telling and the artistic expressions of tomorrow.

2016 saw the introduction of two new award categories - BBFF Best Achievement in a Virtual Reality 360 degree Experience (Interactive) and BBFF Best Achievement in a Virtual Reality 360 degree Experience (Linear). As content and adoption grow we plan to continue to add other specialised awards in this field.

We also host the Byron Bay International Film Festival Screenplay Competition which has a first prize of $1500. The top 3 finalists receive the latest Final Draft Screenwriting software.

Rules & Terms

The Byron Bay International Film Festival is open to films of all lengths and all genres and warmly welcomes all accepted filmmakers to attend. Except for those films entered out of competition all films must not have screened before January 2015. Films previously submitted to BBFF are not eligible for re-submission.

Screenwriters please read the rules at the end of this section.

Entries must be postmarked by the entry dates specified. A separate submission, disks and entry fee is required for each individual film's submission.

Please ensure you have filled out all sections of the entry form. If your film is selected. The synopsis you provide will be used in our promotional material.

Accepted filmmakers using FilmFreeway's Screener system must ensure they have made their films accessible for download in the appropriate exhibition format without delay.

SCREENER SELECTION REQUIREMENTS & FORMATS

We are an environmentally conscious event - it is our preference to receive digital copies of films - as this reduces environmental waste and carbon footprints. It is our policy to encourage you the filmmakers to reduce your won carbon footprint - we discourage physical screeners and we will not to return them unless you provide a pre-paid envelop or a courier pick-up.

Providing us with a high resolution screener copy is preferable, if you are sending us some kind of physical screener (Bluray or USB key) we ask for 2 error-free Discs or Drives for viewing by the selection committee. When received these will be quickly captured and quality checked. Due to the volume of submissions if both copies are found to be faulty the film submission will automatically be rejected with no refunds.

Unless you possess a DCP copy of your film we will consider your screening copy to be the Exhibition version of the film (therefore High Definition delivery via Blu-Ray, USB Thumb Drive, vimeo download etc is preferable). For this reason Screener Films should NOT have burnt-in time-code or watermark titles (excluding subtitles).

We love Vimeo, hopefully you do too - if you opt to send us a link to your film on vimeo please make sure the download option is activated on Vimeo and/or FilmFreeway upon acceptance.

ROUGH CUTS
Out of fairness to other filmmakers BBFF only accepts films which are works in progress during our Extended deadlines and do so only with prior permission from BBFF. We require that what is presented is a final edit with only colour grading, the credits or a final sound mix left undone as film duration is a major deciding factor. Again we stress that all filmmakers considering submitting a rough cut contact the festival directly first for prior approval.

EXHIBITION REQUIREMENTS & FORMATS
Our primary method of screening is DCP although one or two of our venues still screen using a hard-drive based system capable of all resolutions up to 1080p High Definition and E-Cinema formats. We are happy to accept Direct Downloads, Films on Portable Hard Drives, USB Drives and HD versions of your film on Vimeo.

The filmmaker is responsible for any transfers necessary to ensure their film is in one of the preferred formats. If necessary the festival will create your film in a DCP format which is compatible with our venues' systems.

As stated previously filmmakers are welcome to provide their film in a High Res Exhibition Format (ex DCP) as their copy for consideration.

DO NOT place colour bars, ID slates or long periods of black at the head (or tail) of films.

DO NOT place colour bars, ID slates or long periods of black at the head (or tail) of films. Yes we meant to put that in twice - it's very important that filmmakers understand that by including them you are creating a lot of extra work for our technical team.

Feature length films and Australian Premieres may be accepted for late submission after entries have closed subject to the number of entries already received and BBFF's programming needs.

All efforts will be made to notify filmmakers by email of entry status by Sept 1st 2018.

While all entries are handled with care, BBFF is not responsible for any loss or damage.

INFORMATION FOR FILMMAKERS
Selected Filmmakers will receive 4 tickets for their films screening if their film is part of a mixed session. Further tickets for filmmakers whose films are screening singularly or with one other film or are premieres will be negotiated on a case-by-case basis.

All films, except those out of competition, selected for BBFF are in the running to be selected as nominees for awards in their appropriate categories as well as others such as Best Film, Cinematography etc.

BBFF does not pay the filmmakers. Our resources are invested in creating and promoting the optimum platform for your work.

Nominations will be announced before the festival.

More information is available at www.bbff.com.au or if you have any specific queries about entry or terms and conditions please email us at submissions@bbff.com.au.

SCREENPLAY COMPETITION RULES:
The Byron Bay International Film Festival Screenplay Contest is an international contest open to screenwriters from all over the world.

Open to contestants of all ages, although entrants under 18 must have the written permission of a parent or guardian to enter.

Open ONLY to feature length screenplays in all genres. No treatments. No concepts.

All screenplays must be between 80 and 120 pages in length. Screenplays under 80 pages or over 120 pages will be ineligible. Contestants who submit screenplays that do not adhere to these guidelines will not be reimbursed.

All screenplays must be in English.

All screenplays must be industry standard format (Courier 12pt font). Screenplays that do not adhere to this guideline will be ineligible and contestants will not be reimbursed.

The title page of the screenplay must ONLY contain the title of the script. NO OTHER INFORMATION - no names, no addresses, no contact details. Contestants who do not adhere to this guideline will not be reimbursed.

All entries must be uploaded as a PDF and submitted electronically.

The entry fee(s) are in United States dollars and are non-refundable.

The contest is open to anyone, except employees, directors, associates and immediate family of the Byron Bay International Film Festival, and screenwriters who have earned more than $30,000 U.S. (gross) from their screenwriting endeavors in the calendar year leading up to the Byron Bay International Film Festival on any given year.

Multiple entries are permissible, but a separate entry form and entry fee must be submitted for each entry.

Once a screenplay is entered, no substitutions, new drafts or corrections will be accepted.

All entries must be the original work of the writer(s).

It is highly recommended that contestants register their work with the Writers' Guild of America (WGA).

Contestants retain all rights to their work.

Collaborations are acceptable and contestants are responsible for the distribution of contest prizes.

Adaptations from other material are acceptable only if the contestant(s) have written permission to adapt the work.

The screenplay must not be in a current option agreement and if the material is optioned after being entered it will be ineligible for consideration and contestant(s) will not be reimbursed. The screenplay may not have been previously sold or produced for profit.

Winners of cash prizes are responsible for their own income tax. The contestant(s) understand and accept that they are independent contractors and that the contest administrators are not responsible for withholding any taxes or payments on prize money to any government agency in their country.

Contestants will be contacted via email ONLY once they have submitted their material and paid the appropriate entry fee in full.

Contestants will be kept up to date on the Byron Bay International Film Festival website about the progress of the contest.

If a contestant is awarded a cash prize, the contestant is responsible for providing an accurate/up to date Pay Pal address or bank account details to receive the cash prize.

The decision of the judges is final and shall not be disputed.

7 Reviews

Overall Rating

Quality

Value

Communication

Hospitality

Networking

Tristan Barr

Terrific festival with an eclectic range of films in Australia's most beautiful scenery. Was very honoured to screen there!

Samuel Bright

Peter Spann

The Byron Bay Film Festival was an excellent event run by highly enthusiastic people which punched above its weight in terms of films shown, activities and events and calibre of people attending.
They put in a lot of effort into publicity and recognition for the film makers and we received a lot of exposure for the film and connections to some cool industry people.
Plus Byron is an awesome town and a fantastic place to hang out and watch films!
Highly recommended.

Clare Conway

Brett Tinning

Lucky enough to have screened 2 films at Byron, Rhododendron (2015) and Small Hands (2016). Although unable to attend, the festival staff were very helpful and quick with their communication which made for a very positive experience. Looking forward to actually attending this festival in the future.

October 24, 2017Opening Date

December 21, 2017Earlybird Deadline

March 13, 2018Regular Deadline

May 16, 2018Late Deadline

June 28, 2018Extended Deadline

September 1, 2018Notification Date

October 12 – 21, 2018Event Date

Categories & Fees

Young Australian Filmmaker of The Year

The films entered in this category will automatically be considered for nomination for any other awards which the film might be suitable (ie: surf, music video or environmental). While Australian Directors aged under 25 can enter their film into this category to receive discounted entry fees for the purpose of programming our 'Young Australian Filmmaker Nominees' Session only SHORT films under 20 minutes length will be considered for nomination for our Young Australian Filmmaker Award.

Great dramatic shorts are the backbone of our festival. We accept short films up to 30 minutes in length and we like variety. If you're not sure whether your short film might fit our festival take a look at the shorts we screened in our past seasons.

We're looking for narrative films of all genres which are over 30 minutes. Films entered into this category which are over 70 minutes may also be eligible for nomination for our Best Dramatic Feature Award as well as with all films any other suitable awards such as Best Cinematography.

Artistic, surreal, invoking, abstract, poetic or just plain strange BBFF loves experimental films because they take the audience to places they never dreamed imaginable. It seems our audiences can't get enough either.

Surfing is a huge part of Byron's cultural identity and our surf film sessions are a highlight if the festival. We've screened surf films from 3 to 90 minutes and although we love great waves ideally we want longer surf films to have an added element to them - some kind of personal or cultural story that takes the films to another level.
In 2013 the surf film Otelo Burning not only won our Best Surf Film Award but also took home the festival's Best Dramatic Feature and Best Film Awards.

It's very topical to think green but Byron's being putting green values first for the past 40 years. Ironically this town which was built from whaling and logging has become a champion of marine conservation, protecting forests and threatened species.
Environmental films submitted can be any length and any genre, we want to hear what you have to say and we'll put your film in front of a passionate audience who'll care.

For decades Byron Bay has been home to some of Australia's hottest Music Festivals and musicians. Music, of every kind, plays an important and integral part of our local culture and so we created our Best Music Video Category in recognition of this.
Your video may end up nominated alongside the likes of BBFF Alumni Goldfrappe, Massive Attack, Gotye and Deadmaus. We believe Music Video is an awesome medium for filmmakers at all stages of their career to go wild and experiment with their craft.
We have a special event for the finalists - a Music Video Showcase and Party

If your short film of any genre seems perfect for our festival but was screened before January 2015 this is the category to use. We screen an extremely limited amount of films out of competition and only those films which will have a strong appeal to our local audience. We recommend to avoid disappointment that filmmakers thinking of entering this 'out of competition' category read through our mission statement.

If your film of any genre seems perfect for our festival but was screened before January 2015 this is the category to use. We screen an extremely limited amount of films out of competition and only those films which will have a strong appeal to our local audience. We recommend to avoid disappointment that filmmakers thinking of entering out of competition read through our mission statement.

The Byron Bay International Film Festival Screenplay Contest is one of the only screenplay contests run in conjunction with a major film festival in Australia.
This competition is open to feature-length screenplays in all genres that are between 80 and 120 pages in length. BBFF screens an eclectic selection of films and this screenplay competition is sure to match that same diversity and creativity.
The winners will be announced during the Byron Bay International Film Festival in October, 2018 and encouraged to attend.
1st prize - $1500 U.S. cash prize, screenwriting software courtesy of Final Draft, and a contest certificate.
2nd prize - Screenwriting software courtesy of Final Draft, plus a contest certificate.
3rd prize - Screenwriting software courtesy of Final Draft, plus a contest certificate.
Official Finalists - Top Ten (other than first three placegetters) receive a contest certificate.